


Different Worlds, Same Love

by whitecrossgirl



Category: Merlin (TV)
Genre: Assassin AU, F/M, Gypsy AU, High School AU, Originally Posted on FanFiction.Net, Spies & Secret Agents, University AU, Various AUs, all the aus, mermaid au
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-18
Updated: 2020-06-18
Packaged: 2021-03-03 22:54:00
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 11
Words: 19,400
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24793429
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/whitecrossgirl/pseuds/whitecrossgirl
Summary: A collection of Arthur/Gwen AUs that I originally wrote on FF.net years ago and I'm crossing over to this account. From mermaids to assassins to high schoolers and a Spiderman kiss for good measure.
Relationships: Gwen & Merlin (Merlin), Gwen/Arthur Pendragon (Merlin), Merlin & Arthur Pendragon (Merlin)
Comments: 8
Kudos: 9





	1. Gypsy AU

**Author's Note:**

> Chapter 1: Gypsy AU - originally written in 2013

_My mother said, I never should  
Play with the gypsies in the wood;  
If I did, she would say,  
'You naughty girl to disobey.  
Your hair shan't curl and your shoes shan't shine,  
You gypsy girl, you shan't be mine.'  
And my father said that if I did  
He'd rap my head with the teapot-lid._

"You've been spying on us."

Arthur jumped at the voice and spun on his heel coming face to face with the woman he had indeed been watching quite frequently over the past few weeks. Arthur stared at the woman and did the only thing he could.

"That is not true. Anyway, you're trespassing on my land." Arthur insisted and the woman raised an eyebrow as she stepped towards him.

"Your land? 'Your' land so-called ends 500 meters that way. This land belongs to nobody therefore we are not trespassing. You however have been spying." Guinevere replied. She was annoyed that this arrogant man believed he owned the world and had had the nerve to spy on her and her camp.

"I was not spying, I was passing through." Arthur claimed.

"Every night for the past two weeks?" Guinevere tested and a wry smile crossed her face. "You were being nosy. You wanted to know whether it was true what people said about us. You wanted to prove them right or wrong. Tell me Arthur, are you disappointed with what you had seen when you seen us?"

Arthur hesitated. When he first discovered the gypsies had set up camp just off their lands, natural curiosity and frustration had been what caused him to come down that night. The reason he kept returning every other night was standing right before him. Therefore he wasn't disappointed however he wasn't sure if she knew just how interested he had been in her.

"I haven't been disappointed. I saw something very intriguing that first night and I was drawn back to it again and again. It was something that was certainly anything but disappointing. Rather it was intriguing, beguiling and very tempting. Even right now." Arthur replied.

"What was that?" Guinevere asked.

"A dancer. A dancer with dark hair, a purple dress and a tendency to cause arguments with men for no reason other than she can." Arthur stated and smiled slightly as Guinevere worked out he was talking about her. Her surprise was only a momentary expression on her face, gone in an instant as another smile played across her face again. This smile however wasn't a wry, knowing smile. It wasn't a simple smile that one wore when receiving a compliment. It wasn't a friendly smile between two people. It was a whole other sort of smile altogether

"So I am intriguing am I?" Guinevere asked as she stepped towards Arthur, causing him to step backwards until his back was pressed against a large oak tree which hid them both from the camp's view and anyone who may have been in the woods that night.

"Indeed you are." Arthur replied. Guinevere was unlike any woman he had ever met. Aside from her background, her insistence of her rights, her urge to defend her people and her dancing was unlike that of anyone he had ever met before.

"And I am beguiling?" Guinevere asked as she linked one of her hands with Arthur's and used the other to reach up and play with his blond hair. She wasn't usually so forward but something about this nobleman brought out a whole other side of her. A more confident and playful side which usually only made some inclination of an appearance whenever she was dancing and the music removed all her worries and inhibitions.

"You are," Arthur replied huskily. Ever since he had watched her dance in front of the other gypsies around their campfire on that first night, his mind had been filled with thoughts about her. Who she was, where she was from and did she know how much of an effect she had on those who seen her, even for a moment; these were all questions he had been almost going crazy trying to find answers to. It had been why he had gone every evening to the camp, to try and gather what information he could. It was only on the third night that he had discovered her name. Guinevere.

"And tell me Arthur, do you find me tempting?" Guinevere asked, pressing her lips close to his ear before leaning back and looking at him with an expression of innocence that would have put a baby doe to shame.

Arthur didn't need to think about his answer. The dance he had witnessed that night; the way she moved her hips and swayed and spun to the beat of the music. The purple dress that left very little to the imagination for her curves and flowing skirt which flared up to show off her claves and ankles to the world; the carefree and teasing smile on her face that she wore as she danced that sent out the message that whilst her audience could watch her dance, that would be all they could do. Watch. Ever since he had seen that dance, all Arthur had wanted to do from that night was grab her and have his way with her there and then.

So did he find Guinevere tempting? There was only one way he was going to answer that.

Arthur pressed his mouth against Gwen's and placed his free hand on her waist as she wrapped hers around his neck and kissed him back just as passionately, flicking his lips with her tongue so that he would deepen the kiss. They stood there in the darkness, arms wrapped tightly around the other tightly, mouths fused together whilst their tongues performed a dance all of their own. After what felt like an eternity, they broke apart for breath and for the longest time, the nobleman and the gypsy stared at one another and Arthur smiled at Guinevere.

"Does that answer your question?" Arthur asked.

"You tell me." Guinevere replied as she tugged his collar in order to kiss him again.


	2. Mermaid AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written in April 2012

Gwen sighed as she sat on the stone stuck just off the bank by the edge of the lake causally flicking the still water with her hand; lost in thought. She generally wasn't allowed up here but she didn't care. There were more pressing matters in her mind right now. Her father and brother were suggesting the possibility of her someday marrying Lancelot. Gwen however refused to consider the possibility. She had known Lancelot since they were children; he was more like her brother than anything else. Sure he was handsome and fun and kind but whenever Gwen looked at him; she only saw the boy who used to pull her hair or play chase with her and Elyan. Luckily for her, Lancelot felt the same way. They had talked about it and neither of them wanted to ruin their friendship. Besides she knew Lancelot had affections for another girl they knew.

"Ouch!" she exclaimed as a pebble appeared from nowhere and collided with her head.

"I'm really… sorry,"

Gwen looked up at the man who was standing on the bank in total shock. Her face burned as they looked at on another in silence, the man standing on the muddy bank and the woman sitting on the rock. It was hard to say who seemed more shocked to see the other. She picked up the pebble and threw it into the water. It landed with a loud splash and sent ripples across the calm waters.

"You could have seriously hurt someone by doing that!" Gwen snapped before she took in the fine cloak and the armour he was wearing implying that the stranger was some sort of noble. The stranger was still staring at her in shock and she supposed he was quite handsome. He had a nice face, blond hair, his body was muscular and as he slowly approached she noticed his eyes were the same bright shade as the sky above them.

"Who are you?" he asked slowly; as though unsure whether or not they spoke the same language. Judging by the shy smile on the girl's face; she seemed to have understood him.

"My name's Guinevere but everyone calls me Gwen. Who are you?" Gwen asked, she stayed where she was but the man removed his shoes and rolled up his trousers in order to wade into the water to approach her. As he approached the water soaked into his trousers making them cling to his legs as well as splashing onto his shirt. However he was so focused on reaching her he didn't seem to notice.

"My name is Arthur, Arthur Pendragon." Arthur replied offering his hand. Gwen shook it and smiled.

"Nice to meet you Arthur Pendragon," Gwen smiled.

"Sorry about the stone, I was just… venting my frustrations as my idiot servant would say." Arthur replied.

"Why, what's wrong?" Gwen asked.

Arthur hesitated; he was the prince of Camelot. He didn't confide in people, especially to strange girls he had just met and this Guinevere was unlike anyone he had ever met before. Literally. Yet she didn't know who he was. Therefore to Guinevere he was just another person. Arthur had never been 'just another person' to anyone before. It felt good for some reason. He didn't have to be focused on his duties as a prince here. Here he was just Arthur.

"My father is telling me that I need to marry soon. He wants me to marry a woman I don't know; a woman I never met. He never asks me what I want; he thinks he can control every part of my life for his own gain." Arthur explained.

"I can understand. My father and brother want me to marry someone I don't love because they think it's what I want. They didn't even ask me about it. Lancelot's been one of my best friends since we were about that high but I don't love him that way." Gwen replied.

"At least you know the person they want you to marry and they know you'd be happy with him. I don't even know the woman's name yet my father expects me to marry her. Apparently it would benefit everyone. Everyone except me that is." Arthur complained smacking the water and splashing himself. Gwen let out a soft giggle and Arthur looked at her.

"Think that's funny?" he asked.

"Of course not," Gwen denied but her smile said otherwise. Arthur grinned and splashed her instead. Gwen stared at him; water dripping from her face and hair and she began splashing him back. Within moments they were having a vicious but fun water fight and she slid off the rock into the water. After a few moments they stopped and held one another's gaze. Blue eyes stared into brown and they moved towards one another and wrapped their arms around one another but before they could kiss; two voices called.

"Gwen!"

"Arthur!"

They sprang apart blushing. The moment was broken as a figure bearing some resemblance to Gwen approached them.

"Gwen come on, Father wants to speak to you." Elyan called looking at his sister and the stranger she was with.

"Coming," Gwen called and giving one last look at Arthur; she turned and in a flash she and her brother were gone.

Arthur remained standing in the lake; up to his waist in cold water at the realisation of what had just happened in the last half an hour caught up with him. He was almost deafened by the shock of what had just happened in the last ten minutes and didn't hear the sound of Merlin calling him until the servant reached the lakeside and yelled his name again. Arthur shook his head and turned and waded back out of the water to where Merlin was standing on the bank looking confused.

"Why were you in the lake?" Merlin asked.

Arthur was silent for a moment and he pulled his boots back onto his wet feet. "I just needed somewhere to think. Luckily you'll never have that problem Merlin; you see in order to think one needs a working brain."

"Sure, Uther wants to see you right now." Merlin explained. Arthur walked with Merlin and cast one last look at the lake. As he walked away Arthur spotted Gwen waving her hand at him before she vanished again. Arthur shook his head and followed Merlin back through the woods thinking about what just happened. There was something about Guinevere that made her different to other girls he had met. There was one big difference but aside from that. Arthur had never been able to just confide in someone before and he had never met someone who didn't know who he was before. There were so many things about Guinevere that he couldn't stop thinking about. The way she smiled at him; the sound of her name and laughter; the way the sun shone of her long dark curly hair. Part of Arthur thought an absurd thought which he pushed from his mind.

It was foolish besides it could never be.

Gwen followed Elyan, ignoring the questions he was asking her. Who was that man? Why was she with him? Didn't she know she wasn't allowed up there? Gwen however ignored the questions and thought about Arthur. He was unlike any other person she'd ever met. There was just something about him (aside from the obvious) which meant that she couldn't stop thinking about him. His face, his ability to confide in someone he just met; the stunned look on his face when he realised he'd splashed himself; the sound of his laugh… Gwen smiled to herself and shook her head as an insane thought crossed her mind.

It was foolish, besides it could never be.

Arthur was a human.

Gwen was a mermaid.


	3. Pirate AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written in June 2012

Arthur slowly came round; the back of his head throbbing from some sort of impact. He was lying on the ground; unable to move and the floor was bobbing and rocking beneath him. Arthur attempted to stand but soon discovered that his wrists and ankles were bound with ropes and his sword had vanished. He looked around the room he was in. It was dark and dank with no windows the limited light had revealed nothing of great importance. Arthur groped around his memory before the distorted memory of the previous night returned to him.

_Arthur was patrolling the docks, his gaze firmly on the slow flowing waves and his hand on his sword. There had been reports that the feared Excalibur pirates were headed for their small piece of coastline. However it seemed to be a quiet and still night. That was until he heard running footsteps and a woman's screams broke the still night sky._

_"HELP! PLEASE! SOMEONE HELP ME!"_

_Only a few hundred meters away Arthur could see a woman being pursued by a gang of at least half a dozen men. She was swift but it seemed they were faster. The moonlight laminated her smooth brown skin and bounced off her curls which bounded up and down her back in time to her running speed. Her purple dress was bunched in her hand as she ran and her beauty clearly wasn't apparent to just Arthur. The majority of the men chasing her were calling obscene taunts and wolf whistles at her. Arthur unsheathed his sword and ran towards them._

_"Leave her alone!" Arthur yelled as he began to duel the men. As he had suspected; these men were not the usual drunkards who loitered his small town. They were pirates. Undoubtedly the Excalibur pirates who were looking for a maiden to kidnap and ransom. As skilled a swordsman he was; Arthur was outnumbered six to one and one of his rivals managed to creep up behind him and knock him unconscious. Arthur slumped to the ground and the group carried their hostage back to their ship at the farthest edge of the docks._

So he had just been kidnapped by pirates. Wonderful. At least the woman managed to escape; Arthur supposed that was some comfort. Everyone knew what happened to women who were captured by pirates. However these weren't just any pirates. The Excalibur was the most feared and infamous pirate ship in the known world. Every ship it came across was plundered and their mysterious captain regarded as many as the King of the Seven Seas. Not a lot was known about the captain because few who encountered the pirate or his crew ever made it out alive. Arthur wondered whether they knew of his noble status. Aside from being the mayor's son, he was also a lord. A wealthy lord. He hoped not. Arthur would die before he let any of those savages get their filthy hands on his father's or his people's wealth. Just as Arthur reached this thought; the door opened and two of the pirates entered and pulled Arthur roughly to his feet.

"Let me go at once!" Arthur ordered.

"Can't do that. Cap'n wants to see you." One of them, a tall man with red hair held back by a bandana claimed.

"Best not to keep the Captain waiting; many a dog's walked the plank for that." His companion; a very scruffy (even by pirate standards) dark haired pirate claimed with a laugh. The two men led Arthur up through the ship; despite the waves rocking the boat; they didn't stumble into any of the barrels and crates which loitered the passageways outside the various cabins on the ship. The pirates led Arthur out onto the deck where many more pirates were working. Some were hanging off the rigging, others were scrubbing the deck, some were smoking a pipe and staring at the waves. There were a few pirates that Arthur recognised from the night before who were all hanging from the rigging that surrounded the highest mast, at the top of which the Jolly Roger was flapping freely. Arthur looked around; they must have been sailing all night for there was not a speck of land to be seen anywhere. To attempt to combat the sense of panic and fear at the unknown, Arthur turned to the two pirates who were maintaining a tight hold of his elbows. He could at least ask about his fate. Knowing something as better than knowing nothing.

"So what's going to happen to me then?" Arthur asked.

"That be for the cap'n to decide. You could be offered a place on our crew or," the dark haired pirate trailed off and grinned wickedly at Arthur who understood. He would walk the plank. Well if that happened; then Arthur was certain that he would face his death straight-backed and proud like a man. Arthur feigned nonchalance and he looked around the deck attempting to figure out which of the pirates was the captain of this ship. It wasn't long for his question to be answered. A skinny, scrawny pirate with a red scarf wrapped around his neck, emerged from the large room at the stern of the ship and yelled loudly.

"Captain on deck!" the pirate yelled. The other pirates quickly descended from the rigging or pulled away from their duties to hurriedly fall into line. The two pirates holding onto Arthur dragged him forward and Arthur held his head up proudly; determined to stare his captor in the face.

Eventually the captain of the ship emerged. He was smaller than Arthur expected; slimmer. Arthur had had the mental image of a tall powerfully built man; the figure approaching him was impossible to determine an age of. It could have been an old frail man or it could be a youth risking his life by mocking his captain. The captain's hat hung over his face and the loose buttoned up coat, baggy trousers that were tucked into black buckled boots he wore gave no indication of power or authority. The only factor about the captain's appearance that Arthur noted were the two swords hung at either side of the pirate's waist; one of which Arthur recognised as his own. The two pirates holding onto Arthur nodded at each other and simultaneously kicked his knees; sending Arthur crashing onto the deck to the guffaws of the other pirates. The Captain however didn't laugh as he finally reached Arthur and paced around him. He seemed to be measuring Arthur up. Arthur's eyes followed the captain's every movement; trying to catch a glimpse of the infamous pirate's face but each attempt was thwarted by a quick turn of the head. Finally the captain stopped pacing around Arthur and drew out a sword; aiming it at Arthur's heart.

"Do you know who I am Arthur Pendragon?" the pirate asked in a gruff voice.

"A cowardly excuse for a man who exists only to cause pain to others by ransacking, murder and kidnap." Arthur replied honestly, aware that the pirates knew exactly who he was. To his confusion, the pirate captain laughed. There was something offsetting about that laugh. Whatever way one expected a pirate to laugh; that was not it.

"Do you think yourself to be correct?" the pirate asked.

"I know I am correct. The rumours of you and your crew are evidence enough. Besides the only reason I'm here was to spare an innocent beautiful young woman the torture of being trapped on this ship with vile men like you and your crew." Arthur retorted. Again to his confusion, the other pirates began chortling and the captain again laughed that unusual laugh of his.

"You're a brave man to speak to me that way. I respect bravery; it's an important part of piracy. I could use a man like you on my crew if you're interested." The captain offered.

"I would die before I worked for a coward like you or with your idiotic crew." Arthur retorted coldly.

"That is what you think of me? A cowardly idiotic man? Believe me I am a lot of things but I most definitely am not that." The captain claimed and Arthur gritted his teeth.

"You can't even look me in the eyes." Arthur stated. "I cannot work for a man who cannot look me in the eyes."

The pirate captain stayed still for a moment before stepping back from Arthur. Arthur stared as the captain unbuttoned and removed the coat to reveal a tight white blouse and red corset which emphasised and drew instant attention to the curved torso area. The gloves were pulled off to reveal small brown hands and the hat was pulled up to free long brown curls which trailed down her back. None of the survivor accounts mentioned this. The pirate looked up into Arthur's eyes and Arthur gawped at the woman who was now standing before him. Unless he was very much mistaken, she was the woman from the night before. Oh that was clever. Pretending to take a hostage in order to capture a real hostage; credit where it was due; as a plan it was brilliant. She folded her arms across her chest and raised an eyebrow at Arthur was still staring at her completely transfixed. It took Arthur a few minutes to clear his head from the shock of discovering the captain and leader of the most feared pirate ship and crew in the world was a woman, especially such a beautiful and intelligent woman who was able to live this life of theft and danger without revealing herself to none other than her crew. The entire deck had fallen silent. The pirates were watching their leader interact with their newest hostage while pirate and prisoner stared one another out. Finally the silence was broken.

"You were saying?" Captain Guinevere Leodegrance of the infamous pirate ship Excalibur asked her hostage, Lord Arthur Pendragon.


	4. Childhood Friends AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written April 2012

_Arthur Pendragon was seven years old when he met the girl he knew he was going to marry._

Arthur, his father, stepmother and stepsisters had just moved to Camelot from London and while Uther and Vivienne were helping the removal men and Morgause and Morgana were bickering over bedrooms; Arthur took the opportunity to slip down the street towards the small playground he had spotted from the car. It wasn't much of a park; a slide, a seesaw, a roundabout a toddler slide and two swing sets. One for babies and one for older children, each set had two swings. Despite it being a warm July afternoon the park was empty save for a girl who was on one of the swings kicking her legs back and forward to propel herself higher. Despite his young age; Arthur was struck at how pretty the girl was. She had dark skin and long curly hair which was pulled into two pigtails which swung back and forth with her. She was wearing shorts and a lilac t-shirt. Whenever she seen Arthur, the girl used her sandals to stop the swing, the gravel crunching under her sandals as the swing came to a halt and she studied the strange boy in front of her.

"Hi what's your name?" the girl asked.

"Arthur, what's yours?" Arthur asked.

"Guinevere but everybody calls me Gwen. How old are you?" Gwen asked.

"Seven," Arthur boasted, he had turned seven only last week.

"I'm seven in August." Gwen replied and grinned at him, revealing that she was missing her two front teeth. "I bet I can swing higher than you!"

"No you can't!" Arthur replied and leapt onto the free swing. Both of them stood back and counted down from three before starting to swing. They continued playing for around half an hour. After they grew bored of the swing, they played on the roundabout and see-saw before heading for the slide. 

"I'm the king of the castle and you're the dirty rascal!" Arthur boasted as he staggered to the top of the slide, clutching onto the sides while Gwen's sandals forced her to slip down the metal slide.

"No you're not because I'm the famous warrior queen Gwen and I'm taking your castle!" Gwen retorted as she climbed the steps of the slide. However before the game could continue, Uther appeared in the park.

"Arthur!" he called. Arthur frowned at Gwen who nodded, understanding that Arthur clearly hadn't gotten his father's permission to come and play. Arthur pushed himself down the slide and waved a goodbye to Gwen who stood at the top of the slide and gave an imitation of a regal wave.

"It's my castle now!" Gwen called. Arthur stuck out his tongue at her while Uther ranted about how worried Arthur had made him and Vivienne by assuming he had run away. Arthur nodded and murmured apologies in the right places as they returned to their new home. All Arthur could think about as he unpacked his toys and clothes was Gwen. He liked her. She was pretty and nice and was fun to play with. Arthur knew that at the age of seven girls were supposed to be gross and they were; eight year old Morgana and thirteen year old Morgause certainly were. But Gwen wasn't. That was when Arthur knew that someday whenever they were bigger, he and Gwen would be married.

i _Arthur Pendragon was thirteen years old when he and Gwen first kissed._

After spending that first summer together; to their greats surprise in September, not only were Arthur and Gwen attending the same school but they were in the same class. Throughout primary school they remained the best of friends; spending break time together; helping one another with homework; being told off for talking and of course; playing in their playground after school. After primary school there was only one option for their secondary school; Excalibur High School. While at secondary school; they were placed into different form classes. Although they branched out and befriended different people; Arthur and Gwen remained as close as ever. It was halfway through Year Eight, when they were thirteen they were the other's first kiss.

Arthur and Gwen had met in the park as they usually did. They texted each other every evening to ensure whether or not they could meet in the park. They were sitting on the inside of the roundabout talking whenever Arthur dared ask the question.

"So Guinevere, have you ever kissed anyone?" Arthur asked. Gwen looked at Arthur and shook her head.

"No, not yet. Apparently this is some sort of big deal. I'm thirteen and haven't kissed a boy yet; I don't see the big deal in swapping spit with some random guy." Gwen replied. For some of the girls, it was all they spoke about. It was becoming annoying but she also didn't want to be labelled as 'frigid' for not having kissed someone.

"Same," Arthur shrugged.

"You haven't kissed a girl?" Gwen asked.

"You're my best friend; I would have told you." Arthur replied. He meant it' neither of them had secrets from one another.

"I knew it. Vivian is such a liar!" Gwen exclaimed. "Vivian King in my class is going around telling everyone you guys kissed last week." Arthur looked at Gwen like she was mad.

"I wouldn't kiss her," Arthur replied honestly. They sat in silence for a moment before Arthur looked at Gwen. He decided to just swallow his pride and go for it. Before he could stop himself; Arthur leaned over and pressed his lips to Gwen's for a minute before pulling back; aware of the temper his best friend had. However Gwen seemed frozen for a moment before she seemed to collect herself.

"I have to go home." Gwen replied, climbing off the roundabout and running across the playground. Arthur watched her go feeling both confused and upset. Was he that bad a kisser?

_Arthur was sixteen years old when Gwen broke his heart._

Arthur walked back home from the football field. As he passed Gwen's street on the way home, Arthur decided he would drop in on his friend. However as he walked down the street towards her house, Arthur saw that Gwen was standing on her doorstep and she wasn't alone. Her arms were wrapped around a tall boy with dark hair and her mouth was pressed against his. Arthur didn't need to see his face to know who it was.

His so-called friend Lancelot DuLac.

Part of Arthur wanted to pull Lancelot away from Gwen and beat him black and blue. Instead he pulled the hood on his hoodie over his head and kept walking. The next day he didn't answer any of Gwen's texts and in PE when they were playing rugby, he tackled Lancelot so hard the other boy was taken to the matron with a suspected concussion.

_Arthur was seventeen when Gwen had her heart broken._

After Gwen started dating Lancelot, Arthur decided to do the same and dated a few girls who went to Gwen's school. There was Vivian King; Mithian Nemeth Sophia Waters and a few others. However none of the relationships lasted long. The girls were alright, they just weren't Gwen. Despite her wonderful love life and Arthur's disastrous one; the two of them remained good friends and still frequently texted one another and met up in the park. One night however, Arthur was in the middle of a history essay on the Russian Revolution, his phone buzzed with a text.

**Meet me in the park now. Need you.**

Arthur abandoned his books and pulled on his jacket as he headed down the stairs. Uther and Vivienne were so used to Arthur heading out like this that they needn't ask where he was going. They knew he would be at the park. Once he was out the door, Arthur ran down the road to the park as fast as he could. As he pushed open the gate, he could see Gwen sitting on the swing. She was sitting still and staring at the ground. Arthur sat on the swing next to her.

"Hey," Arthur said. Gwen barely acknowledged his presence but Arthur knew to be patient. He waited and after a few minutes Gwen began crying.

"Lancelot dumped me," Gwen admitted through her tears.

"Why?" Arthur asked, rage beginning to build. He obviously hadn't liked Lancelot since he had been dating Gwen but there had to be something seriously wrong with him. It looked like Arthur was going to punch some sense into him.

"He didn't like how close we are. The fact that we're always texting and meeting in the park. I explained to him a million times that we're just friends but he'd had enough. He basically said to me; 'Gwen, it's me or Arthur. Take your pick' and I couldn't answer him. I could never have chosen between either of you. So he dumped me." Gwen explained as she wiped her eyes.

"You know what; it's his loss. If he had any brains at all he'd realise that he just threw away the best thing that ever happened to him. But when he does do that; tell him to stuff it. He had his chance and you could do so much better than Lance-Prat DuLac." Arthur reassured. Gwen giggled at the nickname and looked at Arthur.

"Do you think so?" Gwen asked.

"I know so," Arthur replied with a sincere smile as he reached for her hand. As they held hands, Gwen finally understood what Arthur was telling her. What he had been trying to tell her whenever they had kissed in this very park four years ago and possibly even before that. Neither of them broke the silence. They just sat on the swings under the night sky holding hands. The words didn't have to be said.

_Arthur was twenty three when he asked the most important question of his life._

"Where are we going?" Gwen asked. Arthur laughed at his girlfriend as he covered her eyes and walked her down the street.

"How can you not know?" he asked as they moved down the street; ignorant to the strange looks they were getting. Gwen because her eyes were covered and Arthur because he was too nervous at what he was about to do. After a few minutes they arrived at the park and Arthur removed his hands from Gwen's eyes. Gwen laughed as she looked around the park. Over the years the park had hardly changed. Naturally the play equipment had been updated over the years but it was still the same park she and Arthur had grown up in. Arthur took her by the hand and sat Gwen down on one of the swings.

"Remember the day we met? I moved to Camelot and met you in the park. We had a swinging contest and played on the roundabout and seesaw and I could climb the slide but you couldn't." Arthur recalled.

"Then Uther came and you had to go home and I was queen of the castle." Gwen finished with a smile. How could she forget the day she met Arthur; her best friend and her soul mate.

"I learnt something that day. I hadn't just made a friend that day; I found so much more." Arthur said and he took a deep breath. It was now or never. As he removed the small box from his pocket; he got down on one knee, keeping a hold on Gwen's hand. Gwen's eyes widened as she realised what Arthur was going to do.

"Guinevere, will you marry me?" Arthur asked as he opened the box to reveal a glittering silver ring embedded with diamonds and amethysts.

"Of course I will!" Gwen replied. Arthur placed the ring onto her finger and they kissed.

When they were seven they met in the park. Little did those two small children know that their lives had changed forever that day. They had found a playmate; a best friend; a soul mate and know; their future husband and wife.


	5. Superhero AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written February 2013

"Thanks for helping me with this assignment, I couldn't understand any of what we were told in class." Gwen smiled at Arthur as she shifted the strap of her bag onto her shoulder as the students walked out of the library.

"Anytime," Arthur smiled at his friend. It pained him to think of Gwen that way, they had known each other since September, when they started university and he was still very firmly stuck in the dreaded Friend Zone. Arthur glanced at the dark sky and pouring rain before he turned to Gwen. "Do you want a lift back to halls?"

"No I'll be fine. I'll see you tomorrow." Gwen replied as she opened her bag and reached for her umbrella and Arthur turned to go the opposite direction. Arthur glanced back over his shoulder to see two men approach Gwen and push her into an alley that ran behind the campus library. Arthur stopped in his tracks and glanced around, ensuring nobody could see him as he dove behind one of the buildings and tore off his clothes revealing the costume underneath. With no time to pull on his mask; Arthur shot webs from his hands, lifting himself onto the library building and looking into the alley.

The two men had appeared from nowhere. Gwen had been walking down the road when she had heard footsteps behind her. Before she could react, one of the men grabbed her arm and she could see the hilt of the knife in his hand and froze.

"Into the alley sweetheart," the man ordered as the other grabbed her other arm and they all but threw her into the alley. Gwen hit the ground with a painful smack, her umbrella scattering away into the dark. The two men walked towards Gwen, ski masks pulled over their faces to shield their identities and both armed with knives. Gwen pulled herself to her feet and stumbled back against the wall of the alley.

"I don't have anything you want. Please, don't hurt me." Gwen pleaded as the cold rain dripped down her face and plastered her hair to her head. The two men approached her; the one holding the knife sneered at her.

"Give us what we want sweetheart and you won't get hurt." The man replied as his accomplice leered at Gwen.

"And we know exactly what we want from you." The second man leered as he stroked her face with a gloved hand. Gwen smacked the man's hand away. The man's leer turned to a frown and his hand clenched into a fist. Gwen shielded her head but the blow never came. Instead there were two loud thumps and the sound of the men swearing. Gwen removed her arms from her head and stared.

The two men were fighting a third man. The third man was slinging webs at the men; using one web to grab one of the men and throw him bodily down the alley. The man hit the ground and didn't get up again. The second man with the knife charged at the stranger who ducked the blow and punched the man before using another web to throw him into the wall. The second man slumped to the ground, unconscious and the man turned and looked at Gwen who recognised him at once.

"Spiderman," Gwen breathed. Everyone in the city knew about Spiderman, the mysterious hero who protected the people from crime and danger. Nobody knew his real identity and his name was derived from the man's abilities to shoot webs from his hands, allowing him to fight and fly all over the city as though swinging from a giant spider web. Whilst many supported Spiderman and regarded him as a hero; there was also a smear campaign against his use of vigilante justice and the fact that the hero himself usually left a note with the latest criminals he had caught that was almost cockily signed: 'Your friendly neighbourhood Spiderman.' Everyone was desperate to know who Spiderman was and Gwen squinted through the rain, she noticed that he wasn't wearing his mask. Gwen tilted her head before taking a cautious step forwards.

Arthur caught his breath and looked up. He froze at the sight of Gwen, tilting her head as though trying to recognise him through the dim light offered by the streetlights at each end of the alley and the few lights coming from the library windows. It was then he realised he wasn't wearing his mask and as Gwen stepped forwards, Arthur quickly used his webs to lift himself into the air, out of Gwen's sight before she could discover his real identity. As Arthur landed on the roof, he fumbled for his mask and tugged it over his head as he heard Gwen speak.

"Wait!" Gwen called as Spiderman rose into the air and vanished. Gwen looked nervously around the alley and went to grab her umbrella. This wasn't the first time Spiderman had saved her life and she was curious as to who the hero was; she wanted to see the face of the man who had saved her life.

"You seem to have a knack for getting into trouble."

Gwen turned and smiled at Spiderman who was cheekily hanging upside down from a web just a few feet away from her before walking towards him. There truly was something incredible about Spiderman, even if she didn't know who he really was. Whoever he was, she knew that he was brave and strong with an honourable sense of doing what was just and right.

Gwen smiled at Arthur, who was grateful the mask hid his identity yet he was also slightly jealous. Gwen never smiled at him like that. It made Arthur wonder just what Gwen thought about his spidery alter-ego.

"You have a knack for saving my life." Gwen retorted. "I think I might have a stalker."

"I was just in the neighbourhood. It wasn't much really; just a pair of idiots who needed a lesson taught to them." Arthur dismissed and Gwen shook her head.

"You're amazing," Gwen commented and Arthur shrugged his shoulders. He knew what some people thought about him and at the end of the day; he only was Spiderman due to that freak spider bite he'd received from a spider during a trip to a science research centre. If he hadn't have been bitten, he wouldn't be a hero.

"Not everyone would say that." Arthur replied and Gwen looked at him more seriously but Arthur could see the look of awe and affection in her eyes.

"But you are." Gwen insisted and Arthur realised what the meaning behind Gwen's expression was. Gwen was falling in love with Spiderman.

"Thanks," Arthur replied genuinely.

"I should be the one thanking you." Gwen replied as she stepped closer towards Arthur and reached out to where his mask connected to the rest of his skin-tight costume that hid any aspect of his real identity as a nineteen year old university student.

"Wait," Arthur said quickly. He couldn't let Gwen know he was really Spiderman. If anyone discovered who he really was, they would both be in great danger. He was also worried about what Gwen would think if she knew her best friend had been lying to her; Arthur had never told anyone his secret and what if Gwen didn't feel the same way about Spiderman if she knew Spiderman was Arthur? What if she thought he was really a freak?

Gwen moved her hand away before she slowly placed it into the end of his mask and pushed it upwards, slowly and gently. Careful not to reveal nothing more than his chin and mouth, Gwen held his head in her hands and Arthur realised what was going to happen just seconds before it did. Of course, what other way could she thank him?

Gwen wasn't usually one for acting so rashly but she didn't know when she would see Spiderman again and therefore decided to take the chance as it came. Keeping his head steady in her hands, Gwen leaned forward and placed her lips to his.

As kisses go, it was perfect. It was strange at the beginning, given that Arthur was hanging upside down but neither of them cared about the blood that had rushed to Arthur's head as they stood entwined in the alley. Arthur got a bit braver and pressed his tongue to Gwen's lips and Gwen opened her mouth to deepen the kiss and allowed their tongues to meet and into the other's mouth. Arthur couldn't believe he was doing this. He was finally kissing the girl he had liked since the day they had met.

Gwen couldn't believe she was doing this. She was kissing Spiderman in the rain; his lips were plump and firm and he tasted like spearmint. She suddenly now really loved the taste of spearmint. Neither of them were sure how long they were kissing for but eventually the need for air got too much and they reluctantly broke apart. Gwen pressed a quick kiss onto Arthur's swollen lips before she placed the mask back over his face again.

"Until we meet again." Arthur replied in a huskier voice than normal and he managed to glimpse the exhilarated and surprised grin on Gwen's face before he retracted his webs, causing him to rise into the air and back onto the library roof.

Arthur landed on the roof and quickly put his own clothes back on before excitedly punching the air and lowering himself to the ground before driving home. He had just had the time of his life! He just saved Gwen's life but he discovered that she was falling for him (well Spiderman but he was Spiderman so technically she liked him) and he had kissed her! Arthur grinned as he drove, whilst it was hard having a superhero alter-ego, he had to admit that being a superhero did have its perks.

Gwen pressed her fingers to her lips before she turned and walked out of the alley in a daze. She still couldn't believe what had just happened. Spiderman had just saved her life and she had kissed him. Gwen walked back to the student halls in a daze and as she showered and changed into warm clothes before heading to bed, all she could think about was her masked saviour and just who he really was. Gwen wasn't sure why or how but there was something inexplicably familiar about Spiderman. She just wasn't sure what it was.

The rain had stopped by the next day and as Gwen bypassed the alley on her way to her lecture, she couldn't keep the smile off her face as she glanced down the alley which bore no traces of what had happened the previous night. Even as she continued walking towards the campus; Gwen couldn't keep the smile off her face as she thought about her encounter with Spiderman. As she entered the classroom, Gwen walked over to Arthur who was sitting at their usual desk with a grin matching hers on his face as he doodled on the edge of his notebook.

"You're in a good mood this morning." Gwen commented, usually Arthur was a right grump in the mornings, especially during their nine o'clock lectures. Arthur casually shrugged his shoulders as he placed a piece of chewing gum into his mouth and offered Gwen some.

"I had a good night last night." Arthur replied and Gwen looked at him as she chewed on the gum, a smile spreading on her own face as she realised it was spearmint flavoured.

"Why what happened?" Gwen asked curiously, she herself had had an interesting night after they'd left the library but Arthur wasn't to know about that. Yet it seemed Arthur had his own secrets as he lightly shrugged his shoulders as their lecturer entered the room.

"You'd never believe me if I told you."


	6. Spy AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Written in January 2013

"This cannot be happening." Arthur commented looking at Merlin and the Director in disbelief. Merlin also looked stunned and regarded the Director uncertainly.

"How can you be sure there is a traitor in our midst?" Merlin asked and the Director handed him three tablets with the evidence stored onto it. The spy organisation boasted the best security systems in the world yet a hacker had been able to get in and cause carnage. Details regarding agents and their whereabouts had been leaked online, prompting chaos as the organisation hurried to get the agents to safety before they were taken out. Aside from that, details regarding missions had also been leaked as several of their agents' recent missions had almost fallen through or failed completely. All the evidence pointed to a possible inside job and therefore the Director had called in his three best agents to take the case.

"All the evidence points that way." The Director replied.

"I don't mean that, I mean how can you expect us to work with the Lone Wolf?" Arthur demanded as Merlin handed him his tablet. "She's reckless, arrogant, believes she is better than anyone else and is a living, breathing ice queen. She's an absolute nightmare."

"I take offense to that."

Gwen dropped from the ceiling, landing gracefully into the chair below and nodded at the Director who didn't bother to react at her sudden appearance from the ceiling. Merlin and Arthur managed to hide their shock and Merlin handed Gwen her tablet.

"You're late." The Director commented.

"I would have been here sooner but I was delayed in Tokyo thanks to this hacker." Gwen shrugged. "Anyway what do we know?"

"It's definitely an inside job and all the evidence points to them working for the Camlann Institute. I need you three to find whoever this traitor is and stop them before any more of our agents are put at risk." The Director explained.

"Why the three of us?" Merlin asked, he was simply curious, he and Arthur worked together on most missions but as Arthur had already stated, Gwen preferred to work alone and was rarely seen around the organisation's headquarters.

"I need my best agents working this assignment. Whenever you find the traitor you'll need to stop them passing on any more information by any means necessary." The Director explained.

"Well that explains why you have Emrys and Excalibur but why do you need me?" Gwen asked, repeating Merlin's earlier question and shooting the men suspicious looks. "I work alone."

"Because of your skill set and because I ordered it. Now find me this traitor otherwise I may reconsider why I chose to let you stay in this agency after what happened in Chile." The Director snapped and Gwen nodded obediently.

"Yes sir," Gwen replied and got to her feet. "Come on, we may as well get started."

As he watched the three agents leave his office, Uther allowed himself a rare smile. Whilst having a traitor in his organisation was no laughing matter, he could tell that things were about to get quite interesting between those particular agents. His son was remarkably like his father when it came to female spies. He also knew that after what had happened in Chile, it was time for the Lone Wolf to stop living up to her nickname and learn to work alongside other agents again. if they were able to crack the case, not only would they save the agency but Uther knew he could have possibly the best team of spies in the world in front of him.

As long as they didn't kill each other first.

"Ok so what does this tell us?" Arthur asked as the three spies sat on the roof of the headquarters with the information on tablets in their hands. It was the only place in headquarters that had no surveillance cameras and they knew they wouldn't be overheard or found.

"That I prefer iPads." Gwen quipped as she regarded the tablet in her hands.

"Seriously though if there is a traitor in our midst they're extremely skilled with their technology. Most of this information is Level One clearance and only the director and deputy director have that level of authority. It makes no sense for the Director to betray his own organisation and Gaius would sooner kill himself than betray the agency." Merlin explained as he scanned through the information on his tablet, his photographic memory taking in every last detail.

"We need to consider who could have possible links to Camlann. This all started happening over the past month but they would need to be here longer than that in order to familiarise themselves with the systems and not arouse suspicion. Therefore I wouldn't say it's a new agent, they wouldn't be that cocky to try and hack the systems and play Judas." Arthur replied.

"Not true, I managed to hack into Level Two clearance on my second day." Merlin replied and Arthur looked at him.

"You created that system of course you were able to hack it." Arthur retorted.

"Exactly why I'm annoyed. Whoever did this was smarter than me and I'm one of the smartest people in the world." Merlin claimed as he read over what they had been given. "From what I can see, whoever did this knew what they were looking for. Arthur's right, this isn't a new agent. It's someone much higher up."

"What would they gain from betraying the organisation? Whatever Camlann's offering it can't be enough for them to want to do this. We also should look at motives. Who inside the agency has a reason to betray it?" Arthur questioned.

"What will I do when this person is found?" Gwen asked and Arthur looked at her.

"What will we do you mean. Listen Wolf Girl, as much as we all hate it for now you have to work with us so I suggest you stop acting like a child and offer something useful." Arthur snapped. He had no time for Gwen to live up to her codename. Their fellow spies and even themselves were in danger. Right now the three of them were a team and had to work together. He wasn't happy with the situation either but if they didn't so something then more and more agents stood the risk of being hurt, kidnapped or even killed if Camlann had their way.

"I am. You need to look at the big picture. We don't know what all has been passed on. For all we know this person has been passing information for years. We can't just do what you do and put a round through their head. If we do this properly we could take down the Camlann Institute once and for all." Gwen retorted. There was a reason why Arthur's codename was Excalibur. Like the supposedly undefeatable sword of legend, Arthur preferred to deal with his enemies with weapons rather than words.

"Arthur, Gwen's right. From what I can see, this has been happening bit by bit for at least two years. Things that weren't connected because they were easy to dismiss but if they're linked together they form a pattern. Whoever's doing this is becoming more confident. If they get too confident, we can get them then." Merlin explained and Gwen nodded at Merlin.

"That's what I was thinking. When we find them, we don't act straight away but wait until their next meet up or drop off. Then we get them and whoever they're meeting with from Camlann. Then if we're lucky, that person will let us know what we need to know." Gwen explained.

"How do we know that will work?" Arthur asked.

"You'd be surprised how much you can get out of a man with a little bit of flirting and a gun to the balls." Gwen retorted and she checked her watch. "I'd love to stay and help you guys but I've got a date with a rifle and a warlord named Helios."

With that Gwen returned inside and as soon as she was gone Arthur glared at Merlin and let loose his frustration. It was bad enough that a traitor inside the organisation was playing god with their lives but they were also expected to work with Gwen too. It was clear to Arthur that this was setting them all up for absolute disaster. Gwen refused to work with anyone and if she did then she refused point blank to cooperate with them. Arthur honestly had no clue what to make of Gwen. Other agents had at least one partner and he could tell everything about them by looking at them. You could tell who was the dominant partner, who worked in groups as well as which pairs of agents had broken that classic no-fraternisation rule and were partners in every way. Gwen however was an anomaly. She was always on her own, even when she wasn't on missions, refusing to work alongside other agents for anything, even training. That however was due to the fact no agent wanted to be the unfortunate soul to have Gwen for a sparring partner.

Merlin looked at Arthur knowingly. They had been partners since they began training and he knew his friend inside out. "You're still holding that grudge from the day she kicked your ass aren't you?"

"No!" Arthur retorted and Merlin smirked.

_Arthur, Merlin and the other recruits stood in the training gym. All agents were expected to have some degree of combat skills and whilst they were having a training exercise, Leon was making a competition out of it. Basically if an agent lost their match they were 'killed' and the winner progressed to the next level in order to see who could hold their own longest in hand to hand combat. After two hours and twenty fights later, it was Arthur against Gwen in the final match with all the other agents being 'killed'._

_"Don't worry, I'll go easy on you." Arthur commented, he had won all his fights with ease due to a lifetime of training. Gwen hadn't dignified his comment with a response and Leon looked at the two agents._

_"Three, two, one, go!" Leon instructed._

_Arthur began jumping around, attacking Gwen at every angle. Gwen dodged, blocked and wove around his attacks and unlike the way she had taken out her other opponents, she seemed to be refusing to fight. Arthur turned to kick Gwen who ducked down and raised her fist. She only hit Arthur once but that was all she needed as her fist collided with that one weak spot every man possessed._

_"Winner," Leon announced as he raised Gwen's arm aloft while Arthur knelt on the floor doubled over, clutching himself and swearing in a variety of languages under his breath. Gwen offered her hand to Arthur._

" _You fought well." Gwen commented. It was the most Arthur had ever heard her say before._

_"You fought dirty." Arthur retorted and Gwen shrugged her shoulders._

_"That's how you win. Know your enemies and their weaknesses. It shouldn't have hurt that much given that your massive ego and fondness for the biggest weapons is compensating for something." Gwen retorted and walked away, Arthur staring behind her._

"I do not hold a grudge." Arthur claimed and Merlin snorted.

"Sure you don't." Merlin commented.

"I don't. I just don't know what to make of her and I don't like that. I need to know everything before I can make judgements on people. If I don't know them, I don't trust them and given that we're tracking down a traitor; trust is vital." Arthur replied as he tapped at his tablet again.

"And the fact she punched you in the balls doesn't help your judgement of character." Merlin stated knowingly and ducked an intended slap to the head.

"Shut up Merlin."

Three weeks, five more almost-killed agents and the Director firing threats at them from every angle later found Merlin, Arthur and Gwen coming close to finding out who the traitor in the organisation was. Over the past three weeks, they had all been relieved of their missions and forced to work together to find the answers they were looking for. Whilst Merlin and Gwen had managed to build up some form of mild friendship, Gwen and Arthur were still communicating solely through wise-cracks and one-up comments. However over the past few weeks they had built up a level of trust to the extent that all of them had shared their stories about how they had came to be part of the agency as well as their special skill; Arthur being the director's son and able to turn almost everything into a lethal weapon, Merlin's genius being used to its full potential and Gwen's undercover skills as well as being fluent in a dozen languages. It was late one evening as they neared their breakthrough, that Arthur felt brave enough to ask Gwen the one question he had had burning in his mind for as long as he'd known her.

"So Gwen, what do you have against working with other people?" Arthur asked bluntly causing Merlin to clap a hand to his forehead and Gwen's smile to disappear from her face.

"I don't have anything against working with other people. I just prefer to work alone." Gwen replied.

"But why, surely it's better to work as part of a team. It means someone has your back when things go wrong." Arthur pressed. He and Merlin always had each other's backs. Whenever their missions went pear-shaped, they both knew the other would be able to have some sort of plan or that they could work together to sort themselves out. Gwen let out a sigh, hugged her knees before looking at her fellow agents, deciding that she trusted them enough to tell them the truth.

"I used to have a partner. Agent Lake. His real name was Lancelot. We worked together for over a year and eventually ended up breaking the most important rule in the agency. We fell in love. Anyway a few years ago we were assigned to find and take out a ring of drug-smugglers in Chile known as Los Tonos or 'The Shades', the drugs they were making were ten times more powerful than heroin and ten times as addictive. We tracked them down to a warehouse outside of Santiago where all their drugs were stored ready for shipment and we had it rigged to blow." Gwen explained.

"So Lancelot died in the explosion?" Merlin asked as he and Arthur began to understand. It was hard to lose an agent in the field, but losing a partner was harder than anything.

"No. Two months later I got a call asking me to go back to Chile. Someone had found him and the only information they had was his ID and my number. Naturally I went straight to Chile to find him. Only the Lancelot I found wasn't the Lancelot I knew. Some of the Los Tonos members who weren't there that night found him and got him hooked on their drugs. It was awful to see, he was like a zombie. He could barely walk or talk and if he didn't have a fix every hour, he would go into convulsions. The doctors could do anything to help him other than drug him up with methadone or whatever crap they give junkies in rehab but it made no difference; he was just in that comatose state all the time. In the end I had no alternative." Gwen confessed.

"You killed him." Merlin said in a whisper.

"When I was asked, I said he overdosed and I wasn't able to stop him. The truth was that I managed to get some of that junk and drugged him myself. It sounds awful but it was like putting a dog down. He had no sense of self anymore, couldn't do anything for himself and it was better than having him in some hospital getting other crap pumped into him all the time. It was just kinder for him." Gwen explained as she furiously wiped her eyes from the tears she had sworn never to cry again.

"So that's what my father meant when he said about Chile." Arthur stated as he felt guilt for forcing Gwen to reveal the truth about her past.

"I wanted to leave after that. I couldn't trust myself to work with other agents again; I just knew that if I did, someday it would be them I could end up having to kill. I couldn't face that. If I'm on my own, I just have myself to look out for. Nobody else gets hurt because of me. I know how to handle myself and can cope on missions." Gwen confessed. It was hard being on her own but she seen it as her penance for what she'd done and her way of protecting her fellow agents. She was too dangerous to have as a partner. Therefore she had built up that wall around her to protect herself and the others. A wall that Arthur and Merlin were currently smashing down.

"Gwen," Merlin began but Gwen got to her feet and walked out of the room. Arthur and Merlin looked at one another before Arthur got to his feet.

"I'll go, you're near a breakthrough. Let us know when you've got it." Arthur said and he walked out of the room. over the past three weeks, the three of them had been holed up in a private room in the agency's headquarters and during that time, he and Merlin had found out that Gwen had secured herself dozens of little hideaways where she went to when she needed her alone time. However Arthur knew that she wouldn't be in any of those and instead he headed for the roof. As expected, Gwen was standing on the roof, staring out at the city underneath the darkening sky.

"I know you're there. That's bad spying." Gwen commented without turning around as she attempted to withhold her frustration. A spy never showed weakness and she just had.

"I wanted to apologise for what I said." Arthur replied and Gwen looked at him and shrugged. She had gotten used to the comments about her self-imposed exile from the other agents. It suited her, being alone.

"It's fine, you're not the first and you won't be the last. Besides I work better alone." Gwen stated and Arthur walked up to her and gave her a supportive look.

"I know I wasn't happy about having to work with you but that's changed. I mean we've made a good team. You found the sub pattern that Merlin and I missed and probably halved the time we needed to find this guy. I hate to admit it but my father made the right choice putting the three of us together for this mission." Arthur confessed and Gwen gave a wan smile. "Honestly, I'm glad he did."

Gwen smiled back and for a moment the two agents were silent. For a moment they weren't spies working for an international organisation. They weren't master assassins and fighters. They were just two people. Two friends. Or maybe they were something more than that. Arthur made the first move, slowly wrapping Gwen in a hug; something he felt she needed after finally telling the truth about what she had had to do and as they stood on the roof in an awkward hug, the two spies looked at one another. Simultaneously they began to close the gap between them.

"I've found it!"

Merlin burst out onto the roof as Arthur and Gwen broke apart, blushing. Merlin looked at his fellow agents, realised what had happened and scratched the back of his head. Oops. For a moment there was an awkward silence before Arthur cleared his throat and looked at Merlin.

"Who is it?" Arthur asked, the question bringing them all back to the matter at hand. Merlin blinked before handing his tablet to Arthur and Gwen to see for themselves. The revelation was like a punch in the gut to Arthur as he stared at the evidence beforehand.

"My uncle."


	7. High School AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written October 2011

It was the day of the school play and the Assembly Hall of Camelot High School was buzzing with activity. This year's play was 'Romeo and Juliet'. The costumes had just arrived and the two drama teachers were sorting them all out. The sixth and seventh year stagehands were organising when to take on the sets and props needed, how long the blackouts had to be, any extra sound effects and every last little detail being planned out. The students were either chatting or rehearsing lines. The doors to the assembly hall opened and one of the receptionists came in.

"Where's Mrs Roberts or Ms Smith?" she asked. One of the stagehands fetched them and the middle-aged receptionist quickly explained the situation. Mrs Roberts put her hands to her mouth and Ms Smith nodded before the receptionist left. Ms Smith called for silence and waited a moment for everyone to be quiet.

"We have a problem; Mrs DuLac was just phoned the school. Lancelot has come down with a bad stomach bug and can't do the show tonight. He won't be in for the rest of the week." Mrs Roberts explained.

Everyone shared a stunned look. Lancelot was playing Romeo and the play was tonight.

"Isn't Arthur Lancelot's understudy? He'll just have to step in." Merlin suggested.

"Yes, of course. Does anyone know where Arthur is?" Ms Smith asked looking about the hall.

"I think he's in ICT." Morgana answered from within the middle of the group of stagehands.

"Could you get him please? Tell him it's urgent." Ms Smith said.

"Yes Miss," Morgana replied and hurried from the hall and to the ICT department. At the door she could see Gwen nervously gnawing at one of her nails. She knew that Gwen was looking forward to the play and all the girls were jealous of her. Not just because Gwen was chosen to be Juliet but because it meant she got to kiss Lancelot; one of the best looking boys at Camelot High. Gwen liked Lancelot but only as a friend and Morgana knew who Gwen really fancied instead.

Arthur was sitting in ICT, ignoring his teacher and surfing on random websites. He could just about see the Assembly Hall from the labs and bit back a feeling of jealousy. When the drama teachers announced they were doing 'Romeo and Juliet', Arthur had signed up to audition because he knew Gwen was a dead cert to be Juliet. He had tried his best at the auditions but narrowly missed out to Lancelot and was cast as his understudy instead. Normally Arthur would have been at the rehearsals but as today was the first day of the play, he decided not to go. Everyone knew that it was on the final day of any play rehearsals that any kissing scenes were done properly. The last thing he wanted to see was Lancelot get to kiss Gwen over and over again. Arthur knew that his plan for this evening was to have his back to them during the party scene. He attempted to drag his focus back onto what the teacher was saying but couldn't. His mind kept going towards the assembly hall where no doubt they were preparing for the first kissing scene.

"Excuse me sir but Arthur is needed in the Assembly Hall right now." Morgana was standing in the doorway, looking at Arthur expectantly. Arthur hesitated and logged off his computer and put his notebook and pencil case back into his bag. Clearly his plan to avoid rehearsals hadn't worked. 

"Why am I needed?" Arthur asked. He'd rather do anything than watch the rehearsals. 

"Lancelot's sick and they need you to play Romeo." Morgana explained as they walked down the stairs to get to the ground floor and to the part of the building where the Assembly Hall was. Arthur picked up his pace and they returned to the assembly hall where everyone was waiting on them.

"Thank goodness you're here Arthur." Mrs Roberts said. Everyone else had been given their costumes and was comparing them. All of the Montague's and their servants had something red while all of the Capulet's and their servants had something blue. Merlin, as the Prince, had already jammed his crown onto his head. Leon, as the Friar, had a long brown robe that looked like a dress and he wasn't happy about that. Gwaine (Tybalt) and Percival (Count Paris) were having a sword fight with their plastic swords. Elena,the Nurse, had already put on her shawl that went over her head and was mucking around, acting like a crazy old woman and stumbling over her own feet. Arthur moved through the crowd and found Gwen looking at her three dresses. One was light blue, another was purple and the third was black.

"Guinevere," Arthur said. Gwen spun around and grinned at him.

"Hi Arthur," Gwen said as Rebecca handed Arthur his two costumes. One was a simple red shirt and trousers with a purple jacket to wear over it for the party/balcony scene and the second was a simpler black pair of trousers and grey shirt. Both he and Lancelot were of similar size so the costumes seemed to be a good fit.

The students all darted in and out of the hall getting changed into their costumes. Most of the boys were in shirts and trousers, the girls were in either blue or red dresses, Leon had them all in hysterics in his long robe but he held it up to show he was wearing his school trousers underneath it. Merlin looked slightly daft in a crown and long green cape. To Arthur, Gwen looked stunning in each of her dresses. Mrs Robert and Ms Smith got them all onstage to do a rehearsal of the play. As Lancelot's understudy, Arthur knew exactly how to perform the role of Romeo. All too soon it was the party scene. Gwen took her place at the front of the stage and Arthur approached her, saying his lines, asking her for a kiss. Gwen nervously took his hand and allowed Arthur to kiss her. The kiss only lasted a few seconds but everyone had stopped and stared at them. Suddenly Gwaine gave an ear-splitting wolf-whistle and they all laughed. Gwen blushed but as they continued the rest of the play, she slowly became more confident with each scene. The idea of a stage-kiss had been slightly nerve-racking. She'd kissed boys before obviously but never on a stage in front of a crowd. Finally she and Arthur lay dead on the stage while Merlin delivered the closing lines of the play.

"For there never was a story of more woe; than that of Juliet and her Romeo."

Gwen and Arthur got up and everyone waited to hear any criticisms from the two drama teachers. Instead they were impressed with the smoothness of the play, even with the costume changes added to the set changes. They managed to get two more full rehearsals done before school ended and they were reminded to be at the school for half past six, the play started at half past seven.

Gwen and Merlin walked home; they lived on the same street and had been friends for years.

"So you and Arthur today, is something going on there?" Merlin teased.

"It's called acting Merlin. Onstage I'm Juliet and he's Romeo. Offstage, I'm Gwen and he's," Gwen denied.

"A Prat." Merlin finished as they reached his house. They spent the afternoon hanging out before returning to the school. Everyone ran about, getting changed, preparing props and dealing with nerves either by gossiping, messing or slightly freaking out. Gwen was sitting with her back to everyone while Morgana, clad all in black, straightened her hair for her and tied it into a long plait.

"How are you feeling?" Morgana asked.

"Like I'm about to be sick." Gwen replied honestly. Couldn't her stomach just calm down?

"You'll be fine, hang on, you have to kiss my brat of a younger brother in front of everyone. Um, just focus on trying not to puke." Morgana joked.

"Thank you Morgana. Why didn't you audition anyway?" Gwen asked.

"Didn't feel like it, besides being a stagehand means I get to boss everyone about and I get the best view at the side of the stage." Morgana replied as she tied a ribbon over the end of Gwen's plait. "OK Juliet, you're ready."

"Thanks," Gwen said and slipped out into the corridor. She was so nervous; more nervous than any other time in her life. She was being stupid. It was just a play.

Just a normal school play.

In front of about 200 odd people and being recorded for DVDs for the cast's families.

Now she could be nervous.

"Guys, get ready. It's time." Morgana called. Everyone crowded backstage and Gwen took a deep breath.

"You'll be fine."

Before Gwen could say anything, Arthur had slipped up the steps at the stage door which led to the edge of the stage behind the curtain. Showtime. As Gwen, Elena and Rosie performed their scene as Juliet, the Nurse and Lady Capulet; Gwen's nerves vanished and she sank into her role. Suddenly she was pulling on her purple dress for the party scene and just like that morning, she took Arthur's hand and allowed him to kiss her. 

After the third act there was a short interval and everyone crowded backstage for a drink and a light snack, fixing costumes and touching up makeup before returning to the play. This time Gwen was wearing her black dress as she and Leon plotted how Juliet would fake her death to avoid marrying Paris and the scenes leading up to the poisoning and its aftermath. It just meant that she had to lie on a tomb (read a desk covered in black cloth) until Arthur died after kissing her one last time and poisoning herself. Gwen got up, directed her lines to Arthur's still form, she could see that he was smirking, and picked up the dagger prop and pretended to stab herself before falling back and putting her head on Arthur's chest.

The curtain fell on Merlin's last line and as the cast crowded onstage; they could hear the applause of the audience. The curtain rose again and the Montague's bowed; the Capulet's bowed; Leon, Merlin and Freya who was the Narrator bowed; and finally Gwen and Arthur took each other's hands and bowed before walking offstage.

"Thank God that's over!" Leon said as he finally got the change to remove his robe.

"You were all incredible, especially Arthur and Guinevere; you two really performed well together." Mrs Roberts said. Everyone beamed at the praise and changed back into their normal clothes before joining their parents. Arthur watched as Gwen walked out of the hall. Merlin and Morgana both cast their eyes skyward and shoved Arthur towards the door and watched from the doorway as Arthur took Gwen aside. Although they couldn't hear what was being said; the fact that the two teenagers suddenly kissed one another gave them their answer.

Morgana and Merlin knew exactly how Arthur felt about Gwen and there was only so much that they could take before taking action.

But if anyone asked neither of them knew that Lancelot was lactose intolerant and had no idea just how he'd ended up with milk in his drinks bottle after football training last night.


	8. Friends Reunited AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written August 2012

The party was in full swing. People in various costumes were dancing, drinking, laughing and having fun. Arthur and Merlin watched as Morgana hugged and chatted with various people, surprised by the turn out. It was Morgana's twenty first birthday and because it was just two days until Halloween, Arthur and Merlin had organised a surprise costume party for her. It had been easy to keep Morgana unaware of what was going on by simply saying it was a Halloween party. Almost everyone had dressed up including the three of them. Morgana had dressed up as Bellatrix Lestrange, Arthur had dressed up as Batman and Merlin had had the rather ingenious idea of dressing up as Waldo and was planning to photo-bomb as many pictures as he could in order to create a massive Where's Waldo game for everyone the next day. As they moved back to the bar, Merlin turned to Arthur.

"Listen, I've arranged a surprise for Morgana but I need you to help me out." Merlin said.

"What do you mean by surprise?" Arthur asked wearily. Merlin had a habit of having 'genius' ideas which usually ended up becoming total fiascos. Arthur could only hope this wasn't one of those ideas; he still had nightmares of the last time. Long story short there had been a lot of vodka, a trolley, fireworks and a trip to the A&E but it had made for the most memorable Fresher's Week in a long time.

"Morgana's invited Gwen but Gwen's supposedly still in London. However I've had it arranged with her to come up here and surprise Morgana, I need you to make sure that they're kept apart until I reveal Gwen to her. Morgana will love it." Merlin explained and Arthur looked at him confused.

"Gwen? Who's Gwen?" Arthur asked.

"You remember Gwen don't you? She was one of Morgana's best friends back in secondary school. I only met her a few times but she's a really nice girl, bit quiet but nice." Merlin explained. "Look I got to go just do it for me, please?"

"Alright," Arthur replied as Merlin went and joined Morgana who had been chatting to some of her cousins who had travelled up from Exeter. Arthur wandered over to the bar and ordered himself a drink as he looked around the crowd trying to find Gwen. To be honest, he didn't really remember her. An image of a shy quiet girl came to mind but that was about it. Arthur racked his brains trying to recall anything about her or something that could help him recognise her. After a few minutes a vague memory came to mind.

_Arthur slammed his book shut in frustration and he rubbed his eyes. What on Earth possessed him to take on Biology for A Level?! This was going to damn well kill him. Arthur sighed as he rested his head in his hands and shook his head wearily as he contemplated dropping out of school. It would be damn easier than attempting to learn some crap about cells or plants or something that he doubted he would ever use in real life._

_"Biology killing you too?"_

_Arthur looked up at the girl who was standing at his desk and nodded. He had seen her about school loads of times but had never spoken to her before. Her dark curly hair was pulled back into a ponytail and aside from her schoolbag she was also weighed down with a large art folder and a bursting file block. Arthur moved his stuff over so she could sit down. The girl nervously sat down and they opened his book. She explained her name was Gwen and she was in the other A Level Biology class who had just covered the topic he was struggling with. For the rest of the study period Gwen helped explain what Arthur couldn't understand and while he still didn't fully grasp it, he had a better understanding of the topic than he did before. As the bell rang they packed up their stuff and went their separate ways, Arthur to PE and Gwen to Art._

Arthur didn't really speak to Gwen that much, she was always very shy and quiet and often wouldn't speak unless somebody spoke to her first. Somehow she became friends with the loud, confident and occasionally argumentative Morgana. Aside from that day in the library, Arthur barely had a proper conversation with her; they acknowledged each other in the corridors or would sometimes have group discussions with other people in their year wherein they would debate who the worst teacher was, what they wanted to do after school or who had the most right to claim to be the most stressed about their exams. Arthur barely even remembered what she looked like, he knew she was kind of short with dark curly hair but that was it. Besides it had been three years since they had left school, a lot can happen in three years.

"What's wrong Batman, lose Robin?"

Arthur turned and looked at the woman who had approached him. She was very pretty, her dark curly hair was shoulder length and she was dressed as a 1920s flapper in a white dress which flattered her figure without being too revealing. There was something strangely familiar about her and Arthur supposed he had most likely seen her around campus before.

"I don't have sidekicks, the Dark Knight fights alone to protect the citizens of Gotham from crime and danger." Arthur replied in a gruffer tone of voice.

"Dark Knight, good film. Heath Ledger just stole the show; he was brilliant as the Joker." The woman commented.

"Jack Nicholson was better. Heath could play the Joker but Jack Nicholson is the Joker." Arthur replied.

"You can call me The Joker and as you can see I'm a lot happier." The woman quoted and Arthur nodded, impressed.

"You know your Batman movies." Arthur complimented, it was rare to find women who knew of more than just the more recent Batman films.

"Among other superheroes. What did you think of Spiderman?" the woman asked.

"He's alright, better than Superman; I always found him annoying. He's all powerful, able to do anything and the only way to beat him is with Kryptonite which was only found on his destroyed home planet. At least other superheroes had flaws and weaknesses." Arthur said and the woman nodded in agreement.

"One thing I never understood, Superman never wore a mask, everybody knew what he looked like but nobody seemed to realise he was Clark Kent. At least other superheroes hid their secret identity." The woman said.

"Which means you don't know who I am." Arthur pointed out; he was still trying to work out just who this woman was. He definitely knew her from somewhere but he couldn't put a name to her or where they had met.

"I am hoping that you're Christian Bale but I do know you're Arthur Pendragon." The woman said with a smile.

"Ok that was clever, how did you know it was me?" Arthur asked.

"Merlin told me you would be Batman. I can't find him though," the woman replied.

"Well he is dressed as Waldo." Arthur said as they looked around for Merlin or Morgana who were on the dance floor. Arthur caught Merlin's eye and Merlin quickly put his hands over Morgana's eyes and led her over to the bar, ignoring her protests and attempts to free herself. As they approached the woman smiled as Merlin stopped just in front of her and removed his hands from Morgana's eyes.

"Merlin what was that-" Morgana asked but trailed off as she realised who was standing in front of her. "Oh my God! What the…? How did…? Oh my God!" Morgana squealed excitedly as she flung her arms around the woman and hugged her tightly.

"Happy birthday! Merlin called me and told me to pretend I wasn't coming to surprise you. I wasn't going to miss your twenty first!" Gwen replied with a laugh as Morgana turned and hugged Merlin.

"This is amazing, I honestly wasn't expecting you here Gwen!" Morgana exclaimed as she turned to Arthur. "Did you know as well?"

"Um no, Merlin only told me when we got here." Arthur replied as the music began playing Thriller and Gwen and Morgana hurried onto the dance floor to join in with the crowd dancing to the classic Halloween track. Arthur was staring at Gwen stunned. How was that laughing, chatting woman the same shy, nerdy girl he had known in secondary school? Arthur watched her dance with Morgana, taking in the warmth of her smile, her brown eyes, the way her dress clung to her body but still remained modest; the 1920s look was good on her. Obviously she was older than the girl he remembered but the fact remained, just how did that transformation happen?

"Murphy's Law," Merlin said as though he had read Arthur's mind.

"What?" Arthur asked and Merlin looked from Arthur to Gwen to Arthur again with that annoying all-knowing smile of his.

"Murphy's Law says the nerdy girl you picked on relentlessly during your school years will grow up to be the woman you would sell your soul for one night with." Merlin explained.

"I never picked on her," Arthur defended.

"Not saying you did, that's just Murphy's Law." Merlin shrugged as he went to join Morgana and Gwen. Arthur wasn't much of a dancer and instead he watched the three of them dance and muck around there was only one thought which came to mind as he studied Gwen.

Murphy's a jerk.


	9. Best Friend's Sibling AU

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written October 2012

Everyone knew there was one rule when it came to best friends, siblings and dating. A sibling's best friend or vice versa was always off-limits. No matter what.

Everyone also knows that rules are made to be broken.

Gwen and Arthur met when they started university; Morgana was in the same flat in the accommodation halls as Gwen and Arthur was frequently dropping in and out of their flat in order to hang out, drink or just annoy his twin sister. Gwen and Arthur initially didn't get on until the girls' flat had a movie night and they spent the whole time yelling Dodgeball quotes while the others were trying to watch it. However their friendship was also marked with the occasionally argument until one day during a row over Arthur distracting Gwen from her coursework ended when Arthur walked up to Gwen and kissed her. Luckily the flat was empty at the time otherwise things would have been even more awkward. Everyone knew that a best friend's sibling or a sibling's best friend was completely off limits which is why they decided to try and keep their relationship a secret from everyone, especially Morgana.

One evening they were walking back to their halls after a date to the cinema, Arthur had his arm around Gwen and as they reached Gwen's door, he looked at her with a slight frown.

"What's wrong?" Gwen asked.

"I hate this, the hiding, the sneaking around. I love you and I love being with you and I'm not ashamed to let people know it." Arthur confessed, Gwen was touched. That was the first time he told her he loved her.

"I love you too but I don't want to jeopardise my friendship with Morgana. I can make friends with guys easily but I always struggled to make friends with girls. Morgana's the only real female friend I have and she's my best friend. I don't want to lose that and I don't want her to think I was using her to get to her brother." Gwen admitted.

"I know, she's my sister and I don't want to have a fight with her. She's scary when she's angry." Arthur joked as he hugged Gwen tightly.

"Don't worry, I'll protect you." Gwen joked as she reached up and kissed him. As they stood in the corridor kissing, neither of them noticed the door behind them opening or the figure who stood in the doorway with a raised eyebrow and folded arms until she cleared her throat. Arthur and Gwen broke apart and stared at Morgana speechless. After a few moments of silence wherein the three of them stared each other out, Arthur looked at Gwen.

"Busted."


	10. Assassin AU Part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Originally written August 2012

This wasn't supposed to happen.

She wasn't supposed to be pressed against the wall while his hands roamed over her and his mouth dominated hers. She wasn't supposed to be allowing him to do this. She wasn't supposed to be enjoying it. She wasn't supposed to let him move away and let their breath intermix as their eyes met; brown on blue. She wasn't supposed to let him make her feel like this.

Hell, she wasn't supposed to let him even breathe now.

Different thoughts flashed through her mind. What she was supposed to have done, what she was currently doing and what would happen if The Agency found out. No not 'if' but rather 'when' the Agency found out. Especially her two teammates and their reaction but then he was kissing her and his hands were in her hair and trailing down her back and there. She unwillingly let out a gasp and he laughed against her lips and moved his hand there again.

It was supposed to have been a simple assignment. Go undercover to the restaurant that Arthur Pendragon aka Agent Dragon was going to be attending; let him have a good meal, flirt to gain his interest and when he left, follow him out the back, pull on her gloves and fire a round into his head before he knew what had happened. Except things hadn't gone according to plan.

"You're not really much of an assassin are you?" Arthur commented flippantly as he studied the beautiful woman he was currently ravishing. Out of all the attempted assassins he had met over the years (he stopped counting after the thirtieth one) she was definitely the most unsuspecting. Aside from the waitress uniform she was still wearing as her disguise; it was her eyes which made her seem like the unlikeliest of assassins. There was something akin to innocence in her eyes, something which when he looked in to them, made him want to protect her, shield her from the dangers and darkness of the world. Even when she had had her gun pointed at his head.

"I don't get used much; the Agency tends to use me for undercover work." Gwen replied in a whisper. She had always been the best candidate for undercover work. She was the wallflower, the face in the crowd, the one who kept her head down and her mouth shut, the invisible, forgettable girl. Even though she never physically changed her appearance, the work and disguises varied and meant the various 'clients' that the Agency dealt with never knew who had sold them out or attained the information which brought their downfall. No, Gwen wasn't used often as an assassin, especially since her teammates, Morgana and Morgause were the two deadliest assassins in the world however these circumstances were different.

_The three women sat at the debriefing table as Cenred revealed who their newest 'client' would be. Cenred flicked the remote at the screen which flickered into life and the image of a blond haired, blue eyed man filled the screen. While his image didn't stir much in the way of recognition for Gwen, both Morgana and Morgause leaned forward expectantly, each with a triumphant smirk on their faces. They had longed for this day._

_"Arthur Pendragon, you know him I'm sure ladies." Cenred commented and Gwen suddenly realised who he was. Arthur Pendragon aka Agent Dragon was the half-brother of Morgana and Morgause and whose father headed Excalibur, a secret agent organisation who had been attempting to bring the Agency down for over twenty years. Excalibur, which trained the best agents in the world, had been formed ever since Nimueh, one of the most decorated Agency assassins killed Uther's wife Ygraine. Nimueh herself was found dead after an encounter with Agent Emrys. Gwen didn't need to ask why Arthur was the target; the Agency had been trying to destroy Uther and while attempts on his life inspired no fear from him, any attempt on his son was another story._

_"At last," Morgana commented sinisterly._

_"Just give us a date and location." Morgause commented as she stroked the dagger attached to her arm, just one of the at least half dozen weapons she kept concealed on her at all times._

_"We cannot allow either of you to do this. Pendragon knows you both and he'll be onto you the moment he sees you. I'm sending Gwen; he doesn't know her and therefore will be an easier target." Cenred explained. Gwen looked at the director in shock. She rarely got assigned to do the actual killing; she set up the target, she didn't eliminate them._

_"Are you sure?" Gwen asked and Morgana and Morgause looked at her enviously. While they made a good team, a deadly team; their dynamic worked better when it was one of the sisters pulling the trigger._

_"We need to ensure complete success and if either Morgana or Morgause go; he'll be onto us in two seconds flat. You forget we are targeting him and only him. There'll be none of his fellow agents to help him if we allowed for a possible compromise." Cenred explained and Gwen nodded in agreement._

"How did you get involved in the agency?" Arthur asked as he tightened his hold and began kissing her neck.

"I made mistakes and it's not like I can just leave." Gwen replied.

"Why not?" Arthur asked.

"I think you've forgotten what the Agency does." Gwen replied as she gestured to the gun she was still holding in her hand, albeit weakly. "You don't just quit the Agency. It's a lifetime of service one way or the other."

"Then come with me; we'll protect you. I'll protect you." Arthur reassured as they kept eye contact. The lust that had been both in their eyes and practically in the air around them was gone. Instead it was replaced with something entirely different.

"I just tried to kill you." Gwen reminded.

"But you didn't." Arthur commented.

"Still could," Gwen retorted and they both smiled. They knew she didn't mean it and was simply retorting for the sake of retorting. Arthur cupped her face with one hand while he wrapped the other around her back, pulling her closer, not lustfully but in a more caring, compassionate way. The way a lover would.

"I mean it, at Excalibur we all look out for each other. We never let harm come to any of our own as hard as your agency tries. If you try and hurt one of us then you have to deal with all of us. We'll give you a new identity, help you go into hiding and remain safe. The Agency will never know where you are; besides we could use someone like you. You're trained to kill and you said your speciality was undercover work. If you don't want to go into hiding, you could work for us. You could help us bring down the Agency once and for all." Arthur offered and Gwen smiled at him.

"Do you offer jobs to everyone who tries to kill you?" Gwen joked.

"Only the beautiful ones." Arthur quipped before he looked at her sincerely and he held out his hand. "What do you say?"

Gwen looked at his hand again stared into those almost hypnotic blue eyes. It was crazy, it was reckless, it was literally life-endangering but… Gwen tightened her hold on her gun before she stretched her arm back and flung the weapon away with all her might. Gwen stripped off the gloves, letting them fall carelessly to the ground before weaving her fingers between Arthur's as they climbed into his car. As they drove through the city back towards Excalibur's headquarters, Arthur and Gwen smiled at one another; whatever happened next, they could tell this was the beginning of something amazing.

From their position on the rooftop across from the restaurant where they had had a bird's eye view of what had happened, Morgana and Morgause shared a furious look before Morgause pulled out her phone and dialled a number.

"Cenred we have a situation."


	11. Assassin Au Part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Originally written in August 2012

Arthur struggled against his bonds as blood trailed down from the cut on his forehead. The spies had been tied up and locked in a small darkened room. Arthur slowly loosened one of the knots but it seemed three more sprung up to take its place. The rest of his team weren't faring much better. Merlin was swearing in various languages under his breath but was relatively unharmed; Lance was slightly disoriented with a large bruise developing on his head and Gwaine was sporting a black eye and blooded nose. As the four men struggled to free themselves, Gwaine spat a bit of blood out of his mouth and turned to Arthur.

"Take some advice Dragon; next time you find a girl make sure she isn't a traitor!" Gwaine advised. Arthur ignored the remark; anger and regret was already pulsing through his veins at being so stupid. How could he have trusted her? He should have realised it was all a set-up and now all four of them were going to pay the price.

_The four of them entered the warehouse with ease; the Agency was expecting a shipment of weapons and they had been assigned to intercept their arrival. Before they left Uther had warned them that their mission would be the make or break of the Agency; if they succeeded, the Agency was finished. The entire warehouse wasn't deserted and the agents quickly realised they had fallen into a trap. As they drew their guns; they were quickly surrounded on all sides; outnumbered by at least thirty masked men; all of whom were armed with machine guns. As they contemplated their next move, Cenred stepped out of the shadows along with Morgana and Morgause._

_"Well, well, well this is a surprise. I spring a rat trap and capture a Dragon instead. And look, Agents Lake, Ryder and Emrys are here too. Or maybe I should call you by your given names; skip the formalities. Arthur, Lance, Gwaine and Merlin." Cenred said smugly._

_The four spies looked at one another. Nobody outside of Excalibur knew their real names. When they joined Excalibur; their histories were erased; the men they were before no longer existed. So how did Cenred know their identities? Somebody had betrayed them, but whom? As if to answer their unasked questions, Morgause smirked triumphantly at them._

_"Don't look so surprised, we know everything about you; all of you." Morgause explained as Morgana pulled forward the armed agent next to her. Arthur felt his heart shatter into a million pieces as Morgana pulled off the stranger's hood and Gwen stared at them impassively; there wasn't a fleck of guilt or remorse anywhere on her face._

_"What say you gentlemen, isn't she the most talented little actress that you've ever seen?" Cenred taunted._

_Morgana gleefully clapped Gwen on the shoulder. "Didn't know you had it in you Gwen."_

_"We trusted you," Arthur whispered brokenly. "I trusted you!"_

_Gwen didn't say a word and instead she stepped back and pulled her balaclava back on while Cenred allowed his men to attack the spies until they blacked out._

Gwaine was the first to free himself from his bonds and he felt around but all their weapons had been taken from them. As the other spies were freed; Merlin quickly deduced that Lance was suffering from a concussion and Gwaine slung his teammate's arm over his shoulders as they looked around. The room was deserted but that only meant danger wasn't too far away. For all they knew the place was rigged to explode at any second. Now that they were free, they needed a plan. Arthur attempted the door but it was obviously locked and instead he began slamming his shoulder against it in an attempt to bring it down. His fury at Gwen's treachery was overshadowing all other feelings in his body until Merlin pulled him back from the door.

"It's not going to work. We need to find some other way out." Merlin said.

"Shut up Merlin!" Arthur snapped as he rubbed his shoulder.

"Look I know you're upset at what Gwen did; hell we all thought she was our friend but we need to work on a plan." Merlin insisted as he looked around for some source of inspiration. Arthur ran his hands through his hair in frustration as he thought about Gwen; the assassin who had failed to kill him and whom he brought to Excalibur. This was partially his fault; he had fallen for all her lies, her deceit. Had it all been a lie? The hugs, the kisses, the laughter, the late night conversations, the tears, the lovemaking… had any of what Gwen said or done with him in the past two months actually been genuine? Or had it all been part of some twisted Agency plan.

_"How did a nice girl like you ever get involved in the Agency anyway?" Arthur asked one night as they lay in bed; the sheets tangled around them. Gwen looked down briefly, composed herself and looked back at Arthur._

_"I made mistakes, I'd gone off the rails, lashed out at everything and everyone and was the perfect target. All the anger and fury of a scared and lonely eighteen year old girl appealed to Helios; he was scouring for recruits; gang members, junkies, anyone who would be moulded into perfect little soldiers. He found me, told me about the Agency; it would help me become strong, to find a place in the world; help me control all this anger and hate I had because back then I hated everything. The world, humanity, myself. So I agreed. They trained me up and helped me realise what I could and couldn't do. I found a place where I belonged but I lost my soul." Gwen explained truthfully._

_"What about your family?" Arthur asked._

_"I grew up in care; my family died in a house fire when I was ten and I was the only survivor. After the fire I went from being a happy, carefree kid to being so confused and angry at the world. I didn't know why I'd been spared; there was nothing special or extraordinary about me and I was almost jealous that I wasn't the one who died. I cut myself off from everyone; social workers, other kids, counsellors until they stopped trying to help. That was why I let Helios bring me in; he seemed to want to help, to truly care. Shows how stupid I was." Gwen explained bitterly._

_"First of all you are amazing; you're brave, compassionate and we all love you. You're already like a sister to the lads and I swear I will never let anyone harm you." Arthur promised as he kissed her._

_"I'll never let anyone harm you." Gwen vowed as she rested her head on his chest, soothed to sleep by the steady thumping of his heart._

She'd never let anyone harm him; yeah right. Arthur was willing to bet that every last word that had come out of her mouth was covered in lies. She had told him, the night they met that her speciality was undercover work. It was all so clear now. Cenred sent her because he didn't want her to assassinate him; he needed someone on the inside to pass information about Excalibur and its agents back to the Agency and of course he would have known Morgana and Morgause were lying straight away if it had have been them. How he had been so blind, Arthur didn't know. Arthur stamped the floor in frustration and the others turned to him.

"Look mate, you're pissed off, hell we all are but we need to focus. Deal with the angst later." Gwaine snapped. Arthur looked around at Merlin who was kneeling in front of the lock and seemed to be fiddling with it. There was a gentle click and the door swung open.

"How did you do that?" Arthur asked and Merlin held up a bobby pin.

"Oldest trick in the book; I found it in my pocket." Merlin said as he twisted the bobby pin in his fingers before opening the door a fraction and peering out.

"All clear," Merlin whispered and the four of them crept out and through the warehouse. It seemed they were being held in one of the back rooms and they stopped as they reached the main area of the warehouse; the only way out was being blocked by their enemies; they were outnumbered and unarmed. The four of them crunched behind some old crates and waited for the coast to clear so they could flee.

Cenred, Morgana and Morgause were loudly jeering at the defeat of not only Agent Dragon but also his three sidekicks; the infamous Agent Emrys whom they now knew as Merlin; Agent Lake, Lancelot and Agent Ryder, Gwaine. The four supposed 'best' agents in the entire Excalibur organisation who had fallen for one of the simplest tricks of the trade. The trio were debating what to do with their enemies; how they would kill them and what they would do with the bodies. Gwen was still yet to say a word and Cenred grinned at his double agent.

"I must say I did have my doubts about you but you pulled it off better than I expected. I knew I could count on you." Cenred claimed.

"So that was why you sent her instead of one of us. Arthur would never believe us if we said we wanted to bring down the Agency." Morgana stated.

"Nothing personal ladies though I didn't expect Arthur to fall for you." Cenred commented and Gwen nodded silently.

"That just made it all the sweeter; I actually think I heard his heart break." Morgause sneered. "Who knew it would be this easy?"

"It wasn't easy. The sneaking around trying not to get caught, the lying, the deceit and knowing that people who trusted me were having their trust repaid by my treachery but I suppose it'll be worth it in the end." Gwen replied quietly as she stood up to stretch out a cramp in her leg.

"Oh it will." Cenred agreed and the sisters nodded in agreement. The downfall of Excalibur would not only ensure the death of their enemies but it would also make them very, very rich and the most powerful organisation in the world. It was a new dawn, a new beginning and it was going to be very enjoyable.

"And it seems the end is… NOW!" Gwen yelled as she ducked to the floor. Before Cenred, Morgana or Morgause could react; the masked men and women cocked their guns and aimed them at the three assassins. They were outnumbered ten to one and even if they tried to reach for their weapons; about a dozen bullets would hit them first. Arthur looked at the others in confusion.

"What's going on?" Lance asked.

"Don't know," Gwaine muttered.

"Shush," Arthur hissed as they peered around to watch. Morgana looked stunned, Morgause looked furious and Cenred was quickly piecing together the truth as the three were forced to their knees and handcuffed by various Excalibur spies.

"You treacherous bitch." Cenred spat and Gwen looked at him coldly.

"What say you Cenred, aren't I the most talented little actress you've ever seen?" Gwen mocked as the three of them were led away and Uther unmasked himself and walked over to Gwen who looked around the warehouse, not bothering to watch as her former teammates were taken away, loudly calling threats of dire retribution towards her. Instead Gwen and Uther walked to where the other spies were still crouching and Arthur looked at Gwen and his father in confusion.

"Alright what is going on here?" Arthur asked, certain that at last they would get some answers.

"Gwen has been working as a double agent for us all along. Ever since you brought her here she informed me that her mission wasn't to kill but to infiltrate and we decided to do just that. I warned you that this mission would be the make or break of the Agency and luckily for us, it was the breaking." Uther explained.

"And you couldn't have told us that beforehand why?" Merlin asked.

"We needed it to be as convincing as possible. If I could have, I would've let you in on it from the start. Besides your reactions when I was 'revealed' were real so it was more believable than if you knew I was lying." Gwen answered.

"So what's going to happen now; with the Agency defeated we are technically out of jobs." Gwaine questioned.

"Not necessarily; aside form capturing the agents, we'll need to find a new purpose for Excalibur; it isn't the end. It's the beginning." Uther replied as they left the warehouse and returned to headquarters.

That night Arthur and Gwen lay up in bed, both were apologising profusely to the other; Gwen for not being totally honest and Arthur for believing she was betraying them. As they babbled over the other; they both just burst out laughing and kissed one another. The rest of the night was spent ensuring that the other knew how much they were loved. Arthur fell asleep, his arms wrapped tightly around the woman he loved as again her head was resting on his chest, directly over his heart. The next morning there was a letter lying on the bed beside him.

**My dearest Arthur.**

**I will be brief, time is short. With the Agency shut and the agents either on the run or on the hunt; I shall have to Disappear. Your father and I have arranged everything. By the time you are reading this, I will be a secure, undisclosed location with enough means to ensure I live like a queen for the rest of my life. I'm sorry that I cannot say goodbye in person but last night was my way of saying goodbye. Every touch and kiss and image is stored in my memory and I know I shall never forget. Also I feel that if I had said goodbye in person, I would never stop saying it. I want you to know that I will love you with all my heart until the day I die and that I will never stop being grateful to you. That night when you first kissed me, you set me free. You helped me see that there was still some hope, some goodness in the world. I found that goodness in you and your love. It was you who saved me Arthur; you healed me, strengthened me, helping me find some goodness in me and feel like a true person for the first time since I was a little girl with a loving family. Please tell the others that I am sorry and that I will love them as the three wonderful big brothers they were to me. Maybe someday we might meet again; if so I am already counting the days until it comes.**

**My love forever, Gwen xx**

Arthur read over the letter with a heavy heart but also a determined mind. There was only one thing he could do.

The tropical sun shimmered over the lazily ebbing tide which was drifting backwards and forwards over the golden sand. It was early afternoon yet the beach was almost deserted; the majority of people either too busy in work to school to enjoy themselves. A long figure was standing at the water's edge and didn't react as the soft cissing nose of shifting sand became more and more noticeable and a pair of arms wrapped themselves around her waist and a familiar pair of lips kissed her cheek. Instead she pushed back into the embrace and allowed him to tighten his hold on her. They had only been separated for two days but it had been two days too many for them both. This was what they had been dreaming for, what they had spent hours fantasising and talking about for weeks on end. The danger had passed, their old lives were forgotten and the future was bright. Now they would be happy, now they were free. The woman turned and smiled at the man she loved.

"What took you so long?" Gwen teased as she kissed Arthur.


End file.
